6/16/25 – It’s a warm and cloudy early morning in June. There is a calm mist in the air foreshadowing the (forecasted) inevitable rain and thunderstorm later today. A normal June phenomenon, yet one we have not become accustomed to this year. After a spate of really really dry conditions and low relative humidity that brought the region a few big fires, things have calmed down a bit in response to a few well timed showers and the return of more seasonable conditions.
On Friday night, a frost advisory tore me from the evening revelry and into plant protection mode. By light of headlamp, I scurried around the store and gathered all of the potted and hanging plants that Anderson’s Nursery in Two Harbors so beautifully crafts for us each year, and whisked them to the cover of the screen porch and laundry room. Meanwhile, as I tangled with vines and gorgeous blooms, the Sawbill crew stood on the dock and watched the northern lights race across the sky and reflect off of a glassy Sawbill Lake.
The 34 degree morning that followed didn’t quite deliver the feared frost, but it did provide some comfort knowing it helped tamp down the lingering wild fires, and the bugs that haven’t materialized in the same way as recent years. A return to normal, perhaps, after the last couple years of intense bugs, this year has been mild and what we might hope to expect in a place where you know to expect and accept them.
The vigorous dragonfly hatch might have something to do with it as well. Our iridescent flying friends have come out a little early this year and in good numbers, too. It seemed like last year we never really saw the big hatch. Watching them patrol the lake shore and calm areas behind the house is good medicine.
The day got away from me before I could finish this entry into the famous Sawbill Newsletter (archived on this very website all the way back to the mid 90’s), as I’ve been pulling double duty while Clare and the kids are in Montana this week (more to come on that later).
So now it’s the next day, and the forecast indeed materialized and even exceeded expectations. A solid 3.25″ of rain fell at Sawbill beginning in the late evening and over night. There were a few lightning strikes that raised the eyebrows and a couple of leaks in the roof we haven’t seen before. Beyond that, the deluge was a welcome burst of moisture that didn’t provide many undesirable side effects.
The store was bustling early this morning with several groups who endured the night in the campground and were ready for their Wilderness canoe trips. The warm, sunny, humid morning made it easy to crawl out of the tent, with promise for good adventure ahead.
-Dan